Myths, Monsters and a Man
by Miss Nanami-chan
Summary: "You're mad." he stated flatly. Amber eyes merely danced with mirth across from him, even as the hounds clawed at the walls outside. He continued to wonder how it was that he'd gotten himself in this situation? "Well," a smooth voice murmured, smiling widely. "I've been called worse." A compilation of stories about two clans and the fool who got caught between them. Myth AU SI-OC
1. Book of Mysteries, Oak Leaf

**Naruto Fan Fiction!**

 **Adventure! Mystery! SI-OC!**

 _(Title)_

 **" Myths, Monsters and a Man"**

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 **A/N: Okay, so... I kinda got distracted from writing on my other stories 'cos I read a fic by** _peccolia_ **called** _'The Legend of The Three Leaves'_ **and was suddenly hit with a lightning bolt of inspiration, figuratively frying every other idea in my head until I wrote this out. I've always been a huge fan of the Clan War Era stories featuring Madara and Hashirama and their brothers like the** _'Sunfall/Moonrise'_ **stories by** _Tavina_ **, also** _'Shadow of a Tiny Flame'_ **by** _jiemae_ **,** _'From Dusk To Dawn'_ **by** _Azaira_ **,** _'Fire Flower'_ **by** _Ink-Tainted_ , **(one of my personal favorites)** _'The Clan of Samsara'_ **by** _erimies_ **. And one many of you might know;** _'Sanitize'_ **by** _Sage Thrasher_.

 **I've always been fascinated with the idea of writing in this time period and am really eager to see how well this goes. I don't have it planned to be long and drawn out, this 'Book' is only going to be three or so chapters long. I literally couldn't write anything else until this was done. I hope you like it.**

 **Enjoy!**

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 **DISCLAIMER: I do not own 'Naruto' or any of the Canon characters!**

 **WARNING! RATED M! Violence, Blood, bit of Gore. Language. Traditional stuff, yanno?**

* * *

 **Book of Mysteries**

 **Chapter One: "Oak Leaf"**

 _"Quercus: Strength"_

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Two men traveled along the dirt road, a path worn down and established by the passing of countless merchants and caravans on their ways to their set destinations. Brothers walked this road, in search of a wayward bride whose Father had hired them to retrieve in time for her wedding day. Though their high-collared, long sleeved mantles were bare of any Clan Mon, they stood proud, their strides confident and long.

They were Uchiha.

"Brother, remind me again _why_ I agreed to this?" the elder brother asked irritably. They had been traveling through this godforsaken region of backwoods for nearly two weeks now, tracking their target's movements, and it had began to wear on his already-thin patience over a week-and-a-half ago.

Izuna looked over at him with an annoyingly cheerful grin. Madara had the sudden urge to wipe it off, but he reigned in his annoyance. For now, at least.

"You _didn't_." the younger Uchiha happily reminded his cranky elder brother. "With all the unease still within the Senju after Butsuma's death and the doubt revolving around Hashirama's ascension to Clan head, Father thought it would be a good idea to win favor with the Daimyō while he pushes the Senju forces South, towards Tea and far away from the Capital. So, when the Daimyō's third daughter decided to run away—our clan was the obvious choice to hire!"

"I know all that, Izuna!" Madara snapped, arms crossed over his chest with a heavy scowl on his face. His irritation was palatable now. "Why am _I_ the one out here looking for a spoilt brat?! I should be with our clansman, fighting on the battlefield! This is a waste of my energy and time."

Izuna could acknowledge his brother's frustrations, he even shared them, and that is why he refrained from rolling his eyes at his beloved Nii-sama.

He kept a peaceful smile on his face and spoke patiently. "Because Father wanted to make the best impression on the Daimyō, and that meant sending the infamous _Madara_ to personally handle it. And _I'm_ here to ensure that you don't go off to do exactly what you just said."

Madara glared balefully at his younger brother, Izuna merely pretended not to notice it as they walked under the boughs of the Oak trees, side-by-side. Though he enjoyed this time with his younger brother, and the knowledge that Izuna was safe and away from the battles, he would honestly rather have been many miles to the South, engaged in a fervid and impassioned clash of might. His thoughts, as they often did when thinking of a worthwhile fight, drifted to Hashirama. Of how their latest battle ended in a stalemate after a day of fighting, only stopping when the courier his clan had been escorting had made it to Genshouku-Dai with the client's scrolls. Even though his skirmish with Hashirama had left him with a new scar across his lower back, the day had been a win for the Uchiha.

"Nii-sama, you're smiling. It's starting to scare me." Izuna joked, inwardly though, he was being a _wee_ bit truthful. Nothing ever turned out okay when his Nii-sama smiled.

Madara was quick to clear his expression, unaware that he had been smiling in the first place. He turned his attention to their immediate surroundings; the sunlight streamed down from between the large-leaved oaks above their heads, shading them from the summer heat and allowing a brisk breeze to caress his face. Nothing but the idle sounds of the branches rustling and the occasional call of a bird to disturb the air around them.

It was... tranquil.

 _Overall_ , he mused, _it wasn't that bad of a day—_

"Oh, OH! H-Hey there, travelers! Over _hereeee_!" a voice suddenly called out, alerting both brothers. Izuna and Madara shared a look between them, deciding whether or not they should investigate. It probably had nothing to do with their current mission; finding a spoilt girl who had runaway from her betrothed just before their wedding.

They continued walking.

"Heeeeeeyyy! I know you're over there! Out there on the road! I... I could use some help?" the voice insisted, tone tinged with a slight desperation. "...please!"

Izuna looked towards his brother, silently asking. Surely, it wouldn't take up too much of their time or divert them from their current mission? Even if it was a plot set by bandits, it certainly wasn't as if they wouldn't be able to handle themselves. What if it really was someone in need? Madara saw the look and scoffed, stopping in his pace.

His little brother was always a touch more soft-hearted than he.

It was a simple matter to turn off the beaten path and follow the direction the voice had come from. They walked without a sound, soon entering a glade encompassed by lofty and weathered oaks. It was easy to spot the owner of the voice that called out to them. The Uchiha brothers halted in their steps, frozen by the scene before them. There was a young man, arms bound behind his back, with his head bowed and a mop of dark hair hiding his face. He was kneeling in front of a stone altar in the center of a symbol drawn with _blood_. The man's body was covered with long and methodical lacerations along his arms, legs and abdomen and his clothing torn and stained with blood in those respective areas. As if sensing their approach, the stranger lifted their head and a pair of shrewd amber eyes flickered over the brothers faces, their clothing, and resting on the gumbai fastened on Madara's back.

The side of his mouth lifted and the stranger smiled lopsidedly, even as blood slipped past his lips and slid down his chin. "Well... what do we have here? You two look fairly capable, mind lending a fellow a hand? Be good Samaritans an' all that? I seem to have gotten myself into a... heh, a _bind_."

The Uchiha brothers shared a glance between each other, confirming that they both were seeing this.

The stranger was still smiling at them.

Perhaps they should've continued walking?

"Oi! Who the hell are you two!?" another voice shouted, angered. The brothers turned and saw a group of seven men clothed in black cloaks emerge from the trees on the opposite side of the glade. Each of them were equipped with what appeared to be ono and other items that looked to be ceremonial, they seemed to be monks of a sort. Izuna's eyes darted back to the altar with the bloody stranger and a chill ran up his spine as he realized what they'd just stumbled onto.

 _Cultists in the midst of a ritual._

"Ah! You're all back!" the stranger exclaimed, a laugh in his voice as he addressed the cloaked men. "I was startin' to wonder if you'd just forgotten 'bout little 'ole me out here! Don't mind these two, eh? They're just passing by! Really, don't bother—"

" _Silence_ , heathen!" one of them snarled, breaking from the group and walking towards the stranger. He grabbed a fistful of his dark hair and jerked the man's head back, drawing a serrated dagger from his belt and pulling it across the man's collarbone, leaving a trail of blood to weep from the shallow wound. The stranger's amber eyes widened but he made only a low grunt to acknowledge the pain. The Uchiha brothers watched in silence, deciding on their course of action. Another stepped forward from the group, towards the brothers this time. He held his hands out towards them, entreatingly.

"Are you willing to hear of our Lord's word?"

Madara and Izuna exchanged glances.

The cloaked man continued, taking their silence as acquiescence, speaking with conviction. "We serve the most severe of Lords, the almighty God of slaughter and ruination! In his service, we offer the blood of our neighbors and gift him their death, for he delights in their suffering and is pleasured by their demise! In exchange he grants us vitality and unsurmounted strength!" he looked at the brothers with eyes glazed over with an unreadable emotion, still holding out his hand. "Tell me travelers, will you accept the sacred creed of the almighty Jashin?"

"Don't do it!" the stranger interrupted, drawing all eyes back to him. He was grinning even as he continued to bleed freely. "Their parties really _suck_!"

That glib comment got him a knee to the face by a enraged cultist.

"Well?" the leader-like cultist intoned, his face darkening. "Are you ready to accept our Lord Jashin... or are you going to become another gift to our most unholy Divine?"

"That's an oxymoron, you idiot!" Another strike, a blow to the chin this time. He spat a glob of blood to the ground.

The brothers did not have to even think about their answer.

Izuna spoke, tone light. "Nii-sama, I believe he just said he wanted to sacrifice us." He smiled suddenly, an idea coming to him. A plan to briefly entertain his elder brother. He looked up at Madara with a cheeky grin. "I bet I can take out half faster than you can!"

The corner of his mouth pulled back and Madara _smiled_. There was a small creak of leather as a gloved hand wrapped around the hilt of his trusted War Fan, even as he had already begun to mentally run through his battle strategy. Madara's voice came out in a low rumble, "A race to the seventh man? You'll lose this one, otouto."

The leader-like cultist lowered his hand to his ono, "So be it... then you will face our Lo— _Hrrk_!?" he didn't get to finish his threat before Izuna's tantō slid between his ribs, piercing his lungs, causing him to choke on his blood.

Madara cursed his brother under his breath, dashing forward into the battle. _The impertinent wretch hadn't said '_ _begin_ _'!_

Izuna was already finishing his second target by the time Madara had crushed the sternum of his first and he decided to pick up the pace by folding his hands into the Tiger seal, changing the chakra in his lungs as it sparked to life, warming his chest and leaving his lips as a breath of flame. The roar of fire spread across the glade, engulfing two cultists and narrowly searing a third. He made a move to finish off the third one, but was taken aback when the two he'd charred picked themselves back off the ground, their skin still melting off of their bones.

" _Izanagi's balls_!" Izuna yelped suddenly.

Madara turned just in time to see his brother jump away from a man with his brother's tantō firmly placed through his jaw, coming out on the back side of his skull.

The man was still _moving_.

"Their brains! Get them in the brains or sever the spinal cord! It's the fastest way!" the stranger shouted, squirming in his bonds and rolling backwards, avoiding the swing of an axe by a hair's breadth.

The brothers turned back to their opponents, making sure that they fell and stayed down after separating their heads from their bodies. The battle, if one could even call it that, was finished in under the next three minutes and the brother's glanced at one another, their blood rushing in their veins as they sought out the seventh man to end their little competition. They found the last cultist staggering backwards with the stranger on his shoulders, squeezing the man's head between his knees with his hands still bound behind his back. Before either brother could intervene the stranger's body twisted sharply, spinning the cultist's head around with _snapping_ finality.

"W-W- _WOAH_!" the stranger shouted as the body fell limp, collapsing under his added weight. He fell face-first into the dirt ungracefully.

Madara looked towards his brother and Izuna shrugged helplessly.

It was a tie.

Izuna then went over to help free the stranger of the binding around his hands and wrists as Madara felt his blood settle. One thought pervaded his mind as his eyes looked over the corpses. _D_ _isappointing_. They were always disappointing in recent days. Though the cultist's resilience to Death was mildly entertaining at the start, they eventually fell to his hand just as the rest did before them. It was beginning to seem as if Hashirama would be the only one to ever give him a challenge these days.

Madara scowled suddenly, irritated that his thoughts once more led back to that damnable man.

He felt a pulse of chakra invade the air and his eyes snapped to the stranger who was facing the blaze he had started with his earlier attack, he watched in surprise as his hands folded into the Dragon, Tiger, and Hare seals. Madara recognized those signs and knew what jutsu it was even before a torrent of water spilled out from the stranger's mouth, dousing the trees and shrubs and ending the fire before it got too widespread.

 _Water Release: Wild Water Wave_

It was now that Madara took another, more scrutinizing look at the stranger. A muscular frame if not thinly built, not a front-line fighter then. Bronzed skin and a pair of scarred, callous hands. No doubt from using them often. Ends of dark-brown hair dyed a sun-light blonde from years spent under the sun, the length ending at his jaw. He looked to be a teenager, Madara observed, as young or even younger than Izuna, who was fifteen summer's old. His voice also was light when he spoke, adding to the idea that this was not a full-grown man, but a boy. Clothing in tatters, bloodstained and torn. No Clan markings of any kind could be seen on him, just a plain earth-green haori hanging over a bandaged chest and dark-colored hakama. He looked entirely unassuming and that set the Uchiha warrior on edge.

The last of the fires went out and the man turned, grinning widely at the brothers. Madara stalled at the sight, eyes deceiving him. For a moment, Madara's vision was replaced with an old and unpleasant memory, one of an obnoxiously optimistic boy he used to skip stones with by the riverside. He quickly blinked away the images and refocused his glare on the smiling stranger in their midst.

"Thanks to 'ya both! You had me worried, for a minute there I'd thought you'd just keep walking!" he said with a laugh, walking back over to the altar to collect the scrolls and papers that were strewn over its surface and placing them into a satchel that had been abandoned to the side. Izuna glanced at his elder brother with a knowing look. They almost _had_ kept walking. Madara didn't notice it as he crossed his arms over his chest and kept his eyes on the boy who looked impossibly familiar.

"Lord, I _hate_ Jashinists!" the stranger exclaimed, kicking the dirt with extreme prejudice and disturbing the symbol he had previously been encircled by. "They have _no_ fuckin' manners, I swear! You don't just tie up people and try to sacrifice them in a blood ritual to your God! It's just damn _rude_!"

"It was certainly an... interesting situation you'd gotten yourself into, friend." Izuna said neutrally, taking note of how his brother wouldn't take his eyes off the stranger. "Do you have a name for us to call you by?"

"Ah, I don't have a name. Well, actually I _did_ , but I've long given up that name. I... don't like to talk about it so just, eh... uhh, call _meeee_..." his brown eyes wandered the glade before landing on the large trees encircling them. He grinned widely, looking back at Izuna. "Oak."

"Pardon?"

"Call me Oak— _Professor_ Oak. Because I'm a Professor." he nodded, placing his hands on his hips. "Yup."

Madara could tell by how the muscle in his brother's jaw twitched that he was not pleased by that answer. Nevertheless, Izuna's expression never changed from polite, he lifted a hand and placed it over his chest. "My name is Michirou, and this is my elder brother, Akihiro. We're traveling mercenaries."

' _Oak's_ ' eyes flickered with emotion, but before Madara could read it, it was covered up with a smile and as he whistled low. " _Wooow_ , mercenaries, huh? It's been a while since I ran into any of your kind! So if you've been traveling then you must know some good rumors, I've got to ask... have you heard anything about any unsolved grave robberies happening in this region?"

Izuna's brow furrowed together, "Grave robberies?"

Oak nodded, rummaging through the satchel and seemingly began organizing the scrolls inside. "Yeah, there's been a string of them starting way back in the Land of Bears all across Fire, leading to here, on the border of Hot Springs. The thieves have only taken the most recently buried— _within hours_ recent. And what's even more disturbing is that there's always a rash of missing people following their departure."

The brothers did not have to look at each other to know they had both heard that. The woman they were tracking, the runaway bride, they had begun to suspect that she had found shelter with a merchants caravan traveling across the country after she had evaded apprehension this far, but now...

"We're looking for a woman—" Izuna started, Madara shot his brother a sharp glance but it went ignored as his younger brother stepped forward, taking the stranger's attention. "—she's a runaway, we were hired by her Father to bring her back to her home. We've been tracking her since the Capital but we suspect that she's had help to get this far, do you think that these people could've taken her with them?"

Hesitation flickered across the stranger's face, amber eyes darting away, but the younger Uchiha was not deterred.

"Please," Izuna pressed, looking genuine. "Her family misses her dearly. They just want her safe and back home."

The tactic worked. Madara could see the moment the stranger believed his brother's words as a small sigh escaped his lips.

Though Madara was displeased with Izuna's actions, he was satisfied with his tale. It was close enough to the truth to get information they could use in their search, yet skewed far enough not to guess who they were and who they were looking for. The Daimyō certainly wasn't pleased by his daughter's rebellious actions and it didn't seem to Madara that he very much cared about the fate of his third daughter, only that she be returned, married to the Lord Fujiwara and her bride price be paid in full. The groom himself, the fat and small narrow-eyed man, was furious by the apparent rejection and had even made an insinuation to Izuna, the more approachable brother, that he would not mind too much should his betrothed encounter any ' _harm_ ' on her journey back to the capital, provided they ever find her in the first place.

It was a situation like this that Madara was reminded that he detested the courts and their games. And the idea of marriage, too. He practically raises hell every time one of the elders even _mentions_ the possibility of a matchmaker in his presence.

"I... guess it's possible." the stranger allowed, crossing his arms over his chest and looking at the ground in thought. "So far, no bodies matchin' the missing people's descriptions I gathered have shown up again. I've actually been tracking someone myself, a man by the name of Ryūga, and I'm _pretty sure_ he's the one who's behind these disappearances. Each town I've been 'ta all say the same thing; a handsome, quick-talking man traveling with a few good-looking folk blew in, had a celebration and charmed the whole village and are gone a day or so later. It's always the _young_ and _pretty_ that disappear the nights following their departure, no signs of foul play either. If your girl fits the bill, then it's likely she fell in with their lot."

"Are you implying that... the missing people are actually _following_ them? Of their own free will?" Izuna asked suspiciously. Privately, he wondered if a Genjutsu could be involved? Then that would mean they were dealing with someone that could use their chakra.

"No, no. I wouldn't say that it was of their own choice but that they were more... _compelled_ to follow." Oak said slowly, watching their reactions closely.

"What are they then, a nomadic brothel? Collecting workers?" Madara remarked dryly, not entirely serious. Though, the slave trade in the Land of Hot Springs _was_ more frequented than in other countries. Madara made a face, repulsed by the fact they would now have to start searching the markets for their quarry. Truly, he would rather be skirmishing with the Senju in the South.

Oak burst into surprised laughter at Madara's dry comment, drawing an odd look from the man himself. "Hahahah! Hahahaa... haa... Yeah, no. That'd be silly! I've never heard of such a thing!" he shook his head, his laughter winding down into chuckles. The man looked at Madara with those blithesome amber eyes, smiling. "They're vampires, of course!"

A silence fell over the glade.

"What." Madara said, voice clipped and onyx eyes turning darker. If this idiot was going to try and play them for fools, then it will be the last mistake he makes. The man whose life expectancy just significantly shortened further explained as easily as if he were talking about the weather or what to have for a meal.

"Well, I'm pretty sure not _all_ of them are vampires! That would be really, really bad and they're not really the ' _social_ ' type of creatures. Too many bodies left behind with each mouth to feed." Oak said blithely, seemingly oblivious to the incredulous stares the brothers were giving him. "As far as I can tell, the man leading the group is the vampire, and the rest of the poor bastards followin' him around are just loyal, mindless thralls. Totally dedicated to their master. I've been tracking their trail for the last couple months now and they're good at covering their tracks, but they slipped up."

The brothers watched as Oak reached into the satchel, not noticing how they tensed in preparation of an attack, and produced a small cloth bag, emptying it's contents into his palm. Izuna narrowed his eyes at what looked to be a handful of pine needles.

"This," Oak started, "is the leaf of the incense-cedar, native to the mountains in this area. I found it in the remains of what I believed to be their camp over on the border to the Land of Rice Patties, their last known location. This is what led me here, vampires tend to have a sort of den or ' _safe haven_ ' that they return to after they're done hunting. I expect to find them hidden away somewhere in the region. Probably a cave—Hopefully a cave."

"A _leaf_." Madara asked, tone bordering on incredulous.

"A leaf." Oak confirmed, totally serious.

Izuna's brow pinched with confusion, debating whether to take the man seriously or not. _He_ certainly seemed to believe what he was saying.

Madara just turned around and started walking away, he'd heard quite enough of this nonsense.

"Nii-sama!" Izuna squawked, glancing at Oak only briefly before quickly running after his older brother. The younger Uchiha shot his brother a disgruntled look as he fell into step beside him. Madara was unrepentant, glad to be moving away from the loon they'd just liberated.

"Heeey!"

Madara briefly considered liberating Oak again, this time to unburden his shoulders from his head. He did not slow in his strides even as his younger brother did, eyeing the other man with open curiosity. The lunatic ran up to them on the road, limping all the while, he was still wounded and did not do much to abate the—he wasn't bleeding as much as he had been, Izuna noted.

"We're headin' in the same direction, yeah? Rusutsu is the only village on the map for miles! If the vampires are living anywhere around here, then the odds are that someone from the village might've seen something or heard something about Ryūga and his troupe. And I'd love for the chance to repay you two for your help with the whole; ' _almost sacrificed to a Death God_ ' thing. How's about dinner? My treat."

Izuna shrugged, a smile beginning to grow on his face as he faced forward again. "I wouldn't say _no_ to eating something that I hadn't gutted and skinned myself. What about you, Nii-sama?"

Madara scowled, displeased.

* * *

 **Book of Mysteries**

 **Chapter One: "Oak Leaf"**

 **END**

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 **A/N: Haah, originally this was supposed to be a long one with the start and finish but I, unsurprisingly, couldn't finish it and it kinda screwed my whole writing process. It clogged up my creativity and halted all my stuff, I tried to write on my other stories but I came up with nothing. Thank you to** _ClosetCase_ **for reading over my horrible grammar and finding my mistakes and helping with the chapter!**

 **So, I ended up really liking writing this. Oak is pretty fun and Madara and Izuna were, too! Tell me, what did you guys think of this? It's a bit of a twist on Naruto canon, I suppose I should just call it and AU. It's going to be a bit unorthodox but we'll get to that in the coming chapters. This 'Book' is only about three or so chapters and more will be revealed! It's a bit of a mystery surrounding Oak. I want to know your guys' thoughts on this so far!**

 **I wuv yew all! 'Till next time!**

 _-Nanami_


	2. Book of Mysteries, Iris

**Naruto Fan Fiction!**

 **Adventure! Mystery! SI-OC!**

 _(Title)_

 **" Myths, Monsters and a Man**"

* * *

 **DISCLAIMER: I do not own 'Naruto' or any of the Canon characters!**

 **WARNING! RATED M! Violence, Blood, bit of Gore. Language. Traditional stuff, yanno?**

* * *

 **Book of Mysteries**

 **Chapter Two: "Iris"**

 _"Iris: Good News"_

* * *

As their destination came into view, Madara was in no better mood. It did not help that his younger brother and their uninvited traveling companion seemed to be getting on like two old friends, finding no end to their conversation. It wouldn't be an exaggeration to say the elder Uchiha felt a growing sense of reprieve as they entered the small trading post, soon, he would be rid of ' _Oak_ ' and he and Izuna would be on their way again.

Rusutsu was a small and secular village hidden deep within the Niigata mountain range, at the base of Mount Jōnen on the border between the Lands of Fire and Hot Springs. Surrounded by miles and miles of sprawling forest on every side the village itself was isolated and only made up of a handful of buildings, one of which served as both an Inn and the tavern. By the time they had reached the village at civilian speed, Oak was able to follow through on his promise and buy dinner for the brothers.

"So, why are you searching for this ' _Ryūga_ ', Oak-san?" Izuna asked conversationally, raising his voice loud enough to be heard by his tablemates over the noises and other patrons in the tavern. They were seated in a comfortably shaded corner of the hall, Madara had chosen the table because of the strategic view of all the exits and entrances. No one would be able to take them by surprise. Izuna continued with his conversation, "Do you have some sort of vendetta against him, or have you been contracted to track him down? Is that why you've been following the grave robberies?"

Oak shook his head, swallowing down a mouthful of noodles before responding. "Truthfully? I'm not after Ryūga with any intention of stopping him, I just want to ask him some questions. Like I said, only the freshest corpses have been snatched and none of the missing people have been found dead, leading me to believe that he has yet to harm anyone. I'm guessin' that he's been getting his nourishment off the corpses—because vampires feed off blood, of course—and been collecting the people just 'cos." he then shrugged his shoulders loosely, "I'll add ' _why collect the people?_ ' to my list of questions."

Izuna withheld a frown. He didn't even need to look at Madara to know there was an expression of annoyance on his elder brother's face. Since he had invited himself along with the brothers, Izuna had attempted to uncover the stranger's true motives for traveling with them and was met with the same answers each time. It appeared that Oak seemed committed to this bewildering lie. It was a shame, Izuna thought, if it wasn't for that he thought that he and Oak could have been steadfast friends. The man had a certain charisma about him and his easy-going attitude made for enjoyable conversations, there was also his wry sense of humor that let on that Oak was more clever than he looked.

It was not often that Izuna found someone around his age he could converse with casually, let alone someone capable of keeping up with him mentally. Most of the men that Izuna associated with these days were either clients, whom he has to maintain a certain degree of professionalism with at all times or the battle-hardened Shinobi of his clan. With whom again, he needs to keep up a respectable demeanor around. Not only as son to the Clan head but also because of his youthful appearance. Most of his clansmen already had a hard enough time listening to the orders of a fifteen-year-old. God forbid that he ever try and make a _joke_. Izuna finished his food and set the empty bowl to the side, raising his eyes to meet Oak's amber ones.

"What kind of questions?" he asked, humoring the daft man.

Oak pursed his lips, raising his knuckle to his chin as he suddenly looked contemplative. "Well, it depends honestly. I'll try and ask 'im some questions about his lifestyle; how he eats, how often, does it _have_ to be human blood? Things along those lines. But, if I find out that he actually _has_ been killing innocents just for shits and giggles then I'm probably gonna have'ta kill 'im myself. I mean, I usually don't interfere with a creature's hunting patterns or diets, because let's face it, us humans really don't have a say in who eats what, _buuut_... I do find myself, more often than not, interfering with these things. Moral obligations and such."

Izuna's lips twitched up into an amused half-smile. The man seemed to have a reasonable answer for everything! If the idea wasn't so absurd then the Uchiha might have been inclined to believe him. He folded his arms and leaned forward on the table. "' _More often than not_ '? Do I take that to mean you interrogate creatures other than vampires, Oak-san?"

Oak chuckled lightly, "In the spirit of honesty I have'ta confess that... I've never actually met a vampire before, I've only ever heard of 'em through rumors and folk stories. And to answer your question, yes, the ones that are capable of speech, at least. Most cryptids I encounter tend not to be overly fond of humans though."

Izuna, smile growing, nodded in total understanding while his elder brother scoffed. "Stories, all of them. Purely fiction." Madara turned to his younger brother with a droll look. "Next, he'll be saying that he's swam with the Umibōzu and conversed with a Bijū."

Oak was unoffended by Madara's words and dismissive attitude, to such an extent that he even smiled at the dark-haired man across from him. Seeing this the Uchiha narrowed his onyx eyes into a glare. Oak brazenly met his frosty gaze head-on with a curious one of his own.

"The Bijū are _fantastic_ conversationalists. The Nibi, in particular, has a soft spot for musical poetry." he retorted seriously.

Izuna coughed to hide his laugh while his brother scowled darkly. Madara was annoyed by the stranger. The fact that his annoyance was not entirely warranted, or that the stranger hadn't done anything yet to deserve his ire, only served to aggravate the Uchiha even further. He wasn't usually so on edge when outside the fields of battle and it did not help matters that the stranger not only shared physical similarities to one of the most tiresome men that Madara had ever met, but also that idiotic abundant cheerfulness that was beginning to grate on his nerves. The Uchiha would even swear that Oak was starting to _sound_ like that damned man, too.

Izuna cleared his throat, drawing attention to himself and breaking the tension that suddenly arose between his tablemates. "So. Cryptids? What are those? Are they also like Vampires?" he asked, recognizing the expression on his brother's face and hoping to avoid a confrontation in the middle of the Inn. They were supposed to be traveling anonymously, after all. Oak turned a grin back to the younger Uchiha while Madara turned back to his drink.

"To answer your question fully; I'm what's known as a Cryptozoologist. As such I seek out creatures of debatable existence and then document 'em to the extent of my capabilities, by sortin' through rumors and myths I go and investigate until I find out whether there's any truth to them or not. And whenever I'm not casing down cryptids, I also dabble in a bit of archaeology when the mood strikes me."

"Archaeology?" Izuna arched an eyebrow, interested in the turn of conversation. He had actually heard of that before, it was a occupation that scholars and historians held, if he wasn't mistaken.

"I go exploring ruins of cities or temples, reading forgotten histories and finding secrets buried by time." Oak clarified with a loose shrug. "It often helps with my cryptid research."

As he explained all of this, the man spoke with such surety in his voice that if Izuna hadn't known any better, he would've been at risk of believing Oak's words for truth. As it stood, this was a very amusing persona the stranger was weaving.

Getting an idea, Izuna schooled his expression into one of mild skepticism. "Now, hunting down monsters is one thing, but _Archaeology_ , Oak-san? I can't believe that! You can't be any older than I am!"

Oak laughed brightly, "Not at all! I know I'm a bit baby-faced compared to most, but you could say that I've got a bit of an _old soul_. I'm only twenty-one on the outside but I can't deny how much I love what I do. I just like mysteries, finding them and then figuring out the truth behind 'em." he then smiled blissfully, eyes sliding shut as he swished his tea around in his cup. At that bit of information both brothers exchanged a genuinely skeptical glance. The elder Uchiha brother was only nineteen, himself.

Another obvious lie.

Before any of them could say anything more on the subject, a man burst through the entrance, silencing the chatter of the tavern and drawing all eyes to himself. The man looked haggard and on the brink of collapse. Wild eyes looked up from a deathly pale face and he took in a shallow breath.

"DEMONS!" he howled hysterically, sweat dripping down his brow. "THERE ARE FLESH-EATING DEMONS LIVING IN THE MOUNTAINS! We were hunting near the caves and, they... they killed him... my friend. They killed Gen! Oh, God—They tore into his skin right before my eyes!"

Though he did not smile, as this was tragic and horrifying tale being told, Madara did notice with interest the unsettling amount of unbridled _glee_ that shone in Oak's amber eyes.

The hysterical man collapsed onto the wooden floor in grief-stricken despair and time seemed to resume again, other concerned patrons rushed to his aid while most turned back to their previous conversations. When the brothers turned their attention back to their table they found Oak mumbling under his breath as he scribbled into a large leather-bound book that he'd procured from his satchel. Izuna narrowed his eyes and read the hastily-written words unabashedly, learning that he was writing down what just transpired. His eyes went to the side of the page beside it and widened, seeing detailed depictions of a terrifying human-like creature with multiple sets of jagged teeth lining it's maw.

Oak spoke, sounding clearly amused. "Yah wanna see my Bestiary, Mercenary-san?

"Your _what_?" Izuna squawked, his voice a pitch or two higher than he would admit. Madara snorted in amusement while Oak laughed outright.

"My _Bestiary_." Oak repeated, carefully sealing and stowing away his ink pot and looking back at the teen, but leaving the large book open on the table. He rested his elbow on the wooden surface and placed his chin in his hand in a relaxed manner. "My journal where I catalogue all the cryptids I find. The questions an' stuff? I write it all down and document them, making my own history. I've still got a ways to go but that's the adventure, innit it?"

"For what purpose?" Izuna asked, mystified. Oak's smile finally seemed to fade, his eyes taking on a somber emotion. The change was so sudden that Madara was stuck, _once again_ , with the image of a young Hashirama during one of his mood swings. He gripped the wooden cup in his hand tighter, nearly splintering it in his grasp as he felt an irrational anger surge through him.

Oak was _not_ Hashirama.

There was no one else like the indomitable fool and anyone who attempted to replace him should be cut down where—Madara stopped. This line of thought was as tiresome as it was unsatisfying. The Uchiha warrior was so caught up in his plans to separate himself and his brother from the stranger's presence that he'd nearly missed his reply. He did not, however, missed how the stranger's accent seemed to wane with the following soft spoken words.

"They're all dying." he said sadly, lifting his fingers to gently caress the binding of the book. "It's a result of living in this Shinobi-dominated world. There's already _so many_ that've been lost to time and War. With each year that goes by, forests are burned, habitats destroyed..." he sighed, his eyes hardening for a moment before he looked back up and met Madara's intense gaze. "Most of the creatures I study and catalogue will be all but extinct within the next century with how the battles between the Clans rage on week after week. I feel like it's my duty to remember them before they're all gone forever."

The brothers sat in silence as they absorbed Oak's words. Izuna was speechless while Madara was less than concerned with _what_ Oak had said than he was with _how_ he had said it. How his voice had taken on a more refined and intelligent tone, how he spoke with a quiet conviction that had him second guessing his presumptions on just who was sitting at the same table as his brother.

Before he could hear the brothers thoughts on what he said, it was then that Oak finally noticed the thinly-disguised look of contempt the Innkeep was giving him. Oak looked down at himself and a wave of realization dawned on his features, like he hadn't realized his still-bloodied appearance before that moment. Even though most of it was dried by now, it was still sticky on his skin. He smiled sheepishly, taking the hint. Reaching into his pack and pulling out a plain earthen-colored haori, clean of bloodstains, along with black hakama, pausing to grab a roll of bandage before speaking to the brothers.

"I'll be right back." he said, leaving the table and going to speak with the disgruntled Innkeep, disappearing into another room to clean himself up. The Uchiha brothers watched him go and Izuna noted with curiosity how Oak had not only left his satchel behind with them but also the large book he caringly handled. _His Bestiary_. As if the man already _trusted_ the brothers he met only hours ago with the safety of his possessions.

"He's quite odd, wouldn't you say, Nii-sama?" Izuna mused, pulling the book toward him so that he could look at it better. Madara made a vague sound of acknowledgement but he didn't comment further, just as Izuna didn't comment on how his Nii-sama's eyes had rarely left Oak since they encountered the man in the woods. He continued to leaf through the book and scanned the filled pages with interest, admiring the fairly detailed sketching's of fantastical beings.

Small, winged creatures with child-like faces. Furred giants standing at least 10-feet tall. Small men, no bigger than his palm, habituating mushrooms and such. Elegant horses with wings like a bird or horns mounted on their heads. It was _thorough_. Almost _too_ thorough. This was quite a length to go for a lie, wasn't it? The younger Uchiha's eyes landed on the ink-laden pages again and a small, quiet part of him wondered:

 _What if?_

He turned to the next page, Izuna smiled.

"Nii-sama."

"Hn?"

"There's an entry here for the _Nibi_."

Madara scowled darkly, but his eyes did drift over to the over-romanticized depiction of the Two-Tailed chakra beast. While his younger brother admired the picture, to Madara it looked more like a domesticated feline rather than the destructive terror that it was. He scoffed in distain. The Bijū were not folktale, but real, living _monsters_. To make them out to be any less than such was a fool's mistake. _Fitting for the fool_ , he thought.

Three men entered the tavern and Madara was drawn out of his thoughts. He gave them an obligatory once-over only to stiffen in alarm. He didn't recognize their faces, but the Clan Mon proudly displayed on their clothing was one that Madara intimately knew.

 _Senju._

"Nii-sama." Izuna's tone was low, warning. He saw them as well.

"I _know_." Madara growled. Discreetly, his eyes scanned the tavern for any sign of more Senju skulking about but, no. He had surveyed the hall before even choosing a table and had seen no threats. The Senju dogs weren't here for _them_ either, they had been painstakingly careful in concealing their presence since leaving the Capital. No, it was most likely that the brothers had the unfortunate luck to run across a small Senju team on a contract. As secluded as Rusutsu was, it also a stop along the merchant's road to the trading central of Hot Springs, Tōhō.

It was a simple coincidence.

Madara _hated_ coincidences.

"Grab your bag, we're leaving, otouto." Madara ordered quietly. Izuna nodded, pausing for only a brief moment before gently closing Oak's book. He considered leaving a short goodbye but one look at the agitated expression on his Nii-sama's face and he wisely decided against it. They needed to get away from the area before they drew any attention, the Senju didn't tend to travel in small groups. The Senju approached the Innkeeper and it was as the brothers reached for their packs in a relaxed manner as to not drawn undue attention that Oak came hurrying back up to the table, taking a wider route back than he had before. As soon as he reached the table, he and Madara spoke hurriedly.

"We are _leaving_ —"

"'ey, I have to _go_ —"

They both shut their mouths at the same time. Madara scowled in suspicion while Oak blinked in confusion. They'd spoken at the same time. Saying the same thing with a similar amount of sudden urgency. The answer occurred to them both.

They were, all three of them, avoiding the Senju's notice.

Brightened amber eyes locked with calculating onyx ones. Oak then _grinned_ and Madara somehow knew that it promised nothing but further headaches for him.

"What're we still here for? I passed a backdoor when I went to change—let's _go_! There's a girl to rescue and a cabal of corpse-eating vampires waiting for us somewhere in the mountains! Time is a'wasting!" Oak said excitedly, hauling his satchel over his shoulder and rooting through a side-pocket that jingled with the action. As Izuna's expression brightened considerably Madara's scowl turned into a grimace.

There was no more hesitation as the brothers grabbed their traveling packs and the three of them quietly slipped out the back door of the Inn, leaving behind a couple very old golden coins on the table in payment to a very surprised Innkeep.

* * *

 **Book of Mysteries**

 **Chapter Two: "Iris"**

 **END**

* * *

 **A/N: My lungs actually hurt from how much I've laughed today. It's a nice feeling, one I sadly haven't felt in a while. I didn't realize how much I missed it. Not because of the chapter, oh no, this was unrelated but I thought it deserved to be written down. It's the little things, yanno?**

 **Okay, so this took a little longer than I had expected, but I like it infinitely more. I ended up having to rewrite Izuna's** _ **everything**_ **a couple times because of how bratty he kept turning out. It was ridiculous. I plan on writing more adventures but each 'Book' I have planned are going to take place in-between some generous time-skips. So between the end of this one and the start next one, six or so years could've passed for these guys.**

 **Thoughts! I love that you guys reviewed and let me know that this has caught your interest, I'm really happy! I also want to know what you guys think of Madara and Izuna so far? Is Madara acting in-character? Is Izuna likable? I was going for likable. Ooooh! I have plans for further on and the introduction of the Senju brothers and I just can't wait to show you all! Thanks so much for reading!** **Thank you, again, to** _ClosetCase_ **for helping with the chapter! Such a dear!**

 **I wuv yew all! 'Till next time!**

 _-Nanami_


	3. Book of Mysteries, Rose Black

**Naruto Fan Fiction!**

 **Adventure! Mystery! SI-OC!**

 _(Title)_

 **" Myths, Monsters and a Man"**

* * *

 **DISCLAIMER: I do not own 'Naruto' or any of the canon characters!**

 **WARNING! RATED M! Violence, Blood, bit of Gore. Language. Traditional stuff, yanno? Also some disturbing imagery. Sorry!**

* * *

 **Book of Mysteries**

 **Chapter Three: "Rose, Black"**

 _"Black Rose: Death, hatred, farewell, rejuvenation or rebirth"_

* * *

They trekked into the forests of the Niigata mountain range for well over an hour after their departure from Rusutsu, long enough for the last rays of sunlight to die away and allow the full moon to hang high in the star-laden sky above their heads.

Oak, already having gathered information on possible locations for a vampire den before arriving, had suggested they scout a valley deep within the mountain range for their quarry. Their destination was home to a system of interconnected caves, renown in these parts for their mineral rich springs and the abundance of wildlife that frequent the area, drawn in by the luscious plant life. Making it a desired hunting ground by the natives. Though the brothers did not have any expectations of encountering any creatures of the night they had agreed that they should at least rule out the group their new companion was tracking before searching for another lead on their missing bride.

It was when they were deep within the forest that Oak had stopped walking, drawing the brother's attention as he kneeled down to the earth suddenly. He reached out a hand and touched one of the plants, his fingers gently examining the dark violet flowers. Amber irises scrutinized the leaves of the plant, he began to mutter softly under his breath as he did.

"... _widdershins go when Moon doth wane, An the werewolves howl by the dread wolfsbane_." he whispered reverently.

"What did you say?" Madara asked sharply, onyx eyes narrowing at the other man. Oak blinked rapidly, glancing up at Madara with a confused expression as if he hadn't realized he'd just spoken.

"Huh? Oh, nothin' important—but I did find _this_!" he exclaimed excitedly, gesturing towards the plant. "It's Monkshood, a fairly poisonous plant an' really bad all ground up but it has it's other uses. Now, what's interesting is while the plant _is_ indigenous to the area, it's..." he trailed off mid-explanation, tilting his head at the plant as it took up all of his attention again, much to the elder Uchiha's annoyance. Madara was seriously wondering why _this_ had stopped them. Poisonous or not, what was the significance of it to their task? There were poisons to be found in most plants if one knew what to look for. His irritation only grew when his younger brother crouched down beside Oak to inspect the plant himself.

Privately, Izuna reckoned that his Nii-sama was probably hoping to engage in a brawl at some point soon. He could tell by the rigid line of his shoulders that Madara was anxious. Tense about something. He idly wondered if it had anything to do with their near-encounter with the Senju dogs from earlier? His Nii-sama always did tend to get distracted by the prospect of fighting against that Hashirama at every chance. The younger Uchiha just hoped they could find the woman and complete their contract before anything too exciting happened.

 _Then again_ , he thought as he took another glance around the darkened forest, feeling a certain _unearthliness_ to their surroundings that had the hairs on the back of his neck standing on end. _I wouldn't be too opposed to some excitement. Maybe even a skirmish with a mythical creature of the night that feasts on human lifeblood?_

The thought nearly made Izuna chuckle. _That_ would surely be a interesting change from the usual bandits and shinobi they often encountered during a contract. He was almost tempted to hope for it. _Almost_.

" _And_?" Madara asked abruptly when Oak had not continued his rambling, dark eyes flickering to and from the many ivy-covered trees that surrounded them on all sides. He was impatient to get a move on already. Madara did not _like_ dense forests. Too many times have the Senju taken advantage of the terrain and ended the lives of many his clansmen. Then there was the fact that looking at too many trees reminded him of Hashirama, and when his thoughts turned to Hashirama he felt the need to burn or cut something.

" _Annnnd_..." Oak drawled, flicking his eyes up to meet the elder Uchiha's and looking far too delighted for Madara's thinning patience. " _This_ is much too cultured for it 'ta be a wild one. Means someone's been tending to it. To all of 'em, in fact. Really well, too." he said with a hint of admiration.

"All of them?" Izuna repeated curiously, dark eyes scanning around them.

At first glance he had not seen anything other than wild plant life only to become rooted in place once he'd saw it. To the untrained eye there was nothing too unordinary about the plantation at their feet but a closer inspection of the ground revealed roughly seeded rows of flowers and herbs lining the surrounding area, plants the Uchiha could recognize from the many times they've visited the apothecary for healing. Ginseng, Yarrow, Lavender, Ginger, Sumac and many more species that they could not name were sprawled out across the forest floor in each direction.

They were standing in the middle of someone's garden.

"Someone lives nearby then? Perhaps this is the base that you were looking for after all, Oak-san." Izuna said pleasantly, even as his eyes began to scrutinize their surroundings for any sign of enemy presence. Out of the corner of his eye, he noticed Oak with an oddly grave expression on his face. "Oak-san?" he prodded, frowning at their companion's silence.

The man glanced up at the call of his name and grimaced, raking a hand through his unkempt hair. He looked torn about something. He stood to his feet suddenly and both brothers watched the odd man carefully as he seemed to be having an internal struggle with himself.

"Uhm... So—aw, jeez. How do I ask this? Ahhh—fuck it." he cursed under his breath. Eventually he faced them again with an awkward and pinched expression. "Neither of 'ya would happen to know... to know if your girl's a _virgin_ , would 'ya?"

The Uchiha stared at Oak in silence, two pairs of onyx eyes boring into amber. It was a heavy silence... and _more_ than a little awkward.

"You have _one chance_ to explain yourself. I suggest you do so quickly." Madara said lowly, his voice taking on a threatening edge. Oak's hands raised in surrender, a strained yet apologetic smile on his lips. Izuna said nothing, knowing that his brother was long past tolerating Oak's odd ways. He was honestly surprised at how patient his Nii-sama had been up to this point.

"O-Okay, I'll admit, that sounded bad. Not my greatest moment, I know—but! ...I _do_ have a good reason for asking." Oak quickly attempted to explain with a flail of his hands, though he ended up babbling instead. His face steadily heating up despite himself. "It's just... these herbs 'ere, I recognize 'em all and the way they're arranged—in the _Nonagram_ around us—and it's giving me some really bad ideas that I really hope is just me bein' paranoid, but it's just that I'm _pretty damn sure_ that we've stumbled into a—"

His voice died in his throat, amber eyes sharpening suddenly as dread pooled in his gut.

All three men _stilled_ , sensing a new presence amongst them. They all turned to see a small child peeking out from behind one of the trees. A girl, with pale golden curls who could not have been more than six summers old watched them with a pair of wide green eyes. Izuna was the first to react, lifting his hand in a gentle wave to her as his eyes scanned the trees. She seemed to be alone, but that couldn't be right. They were well into the wilderness now, too far for her to have come from Rusutsu. _Unless_...

"Hello there, little one." he called out, a charming smile on his lips. She did not respond, still securely hidden behind the base of the large tree. Izuna was not deterred by her silence and continued to speak in a kind and gentle voice. "It seems we have gotten a bit lost out here—hahah, we are not from around these parts, you see. We have traveled from a Village far out west to meet someone; a man by the name of _Ryūga_. Do you know him, child?"

The child let out a small gasp, green eyes widening even further. It was as if he'd said a secret passphrase. The child's entire demeanor changed as she stepped out from her hiding place, revealing the small basket of herbs she had in her arms and the plain blue kimono she wore. There was now a sweet smile on her lips as she nodded her head, the silken curls on her head bouncing with the force of it.

"Ryūga-ojichan is back at camp with all the rest!" she said excitedly, green eyes alight with childish enthusiasm. "You are late! The others all arrived _days_ ago!"

Izuna chuckled, still smiling in that deceptively gentle way. "Our apologies little miss, we encountered a few more difficulties than we had anticipated."

The girl giggled light-heartedly, turning on her heel and picking up something from behind the tree she'd hidden herself behind. Pulling the cloth from the item revealed a soft glow of green light, from the rope in her hand dangled a small glass jar filled with fireflies. Her sweet smile became wider as her green eyes reflected the light, nearly glowing themselves.

"It's okay! You both are here now so that's all that matters!" she told them happily, turning on her heel and motioning them to follow. "But we shouldn't keep them waiting any longer than they have, or you might not be able to join the feast!"

While Izuna became mildly alarmed the little girl's mention of a ' _feast_ ' as his mind unwillingly brought forth an illustration of a life-stealing creature with rows of jagged teeth, his elder brother's discerning ears had caught onto the word ' _both_ ' and wondered why she would—

Madara looked over his shoulder.

Oak was no longer there.

Neither of the brothers had felt nor noticed his presence leave their sides. Confirming Madara's suspicion that ' _Oak_ ' was not all that he appeared to be. He scowled in vexation at the fact that Oak had slipped away without his notice.

The elder Uchiha decided then that he would kill that annoying man should he ever get the chance to cross paths with him again. It would not be a pleasant death either. It would involve being severed at the waist, or by fire perhaps? He continued to indulge himself in imagining in the different ways which he would kill that fool as they followed the girl through the trees, soon leaving the forest behind as they came across a rocky trail that led up into the mountain range.

The child began to ascend the steep path without hesitation, even humming a song under her breath as she did. By the light of the yellow moon and the small lantern she carried, the brothers had no issue navigating through the rocks. They kept themselves on constant alert for any sign of a threat, be it from behind or from the cliffs above. Even the shadows of the rock face poised a threat that they could not ignore.

 _Dueom—Tek-ka! Dueom—Tek-ka! Dueom—Tek-ka!_

Echoing off the mountains, they heard the beating of drums travel through the night air. A harsh, aromatic smell filling their senses the further they walked along the path. It wasn't until they had reached the crest of the mountain trail that they found the source of the animated beating. Stepping onto a narrow plateau that had a view of the entire green valley that stretched out beneath the starry horizon, they saw the camp.

 _Dueom—Tek-ka-ka! Tek-ka! Dueom—Tek-ka-ka! Tek-ka! Dueom—Tek-ka-ka! Tek—_

Illuminated by the light of a large bonfire the brothers could see a group of a few dozen people dancing wildly, the heavy rhythmic percussion of the drums dictating the speed of their careless movements as their shadows were cast against the rock wall behind them, shifting and stretching along its craggy surface.

 _Dueom—Tek-ka-ka! Dueom—Dueom—Tek-tek-ka!_

Madara and Izuna stood transfixed in place as they watched the men and women throw their arms above their heads and arch their bodies back, lifting their chests to the sky above. Others clung to each other in their wild movements, hands draped across their partners as they pulled at clothing and exposed themselves. The flagrant _indecency_ of their behavior should've caused some sort of alarm, but for a reason he couldn't quite explain Madara felt a sort of calmness wash over him and a profound lethargy settle deep within his bones.

Something in the back of his mind was telling him that this situation was _wrong_ but...— _Dueom-Tek-ka-ka_ — _Dueom-Tek-ka-ka_ —The young girl smiled at them, her green eyes glowing against the bright orange flames behind her, beckoning the brothers closer as drums beat louder. Echoing inside their skulls— _Tek-ka-ka! Tek-ka-ka! Tek-ka-ka! Doum_ — _Tek-ka-ka_ —The girl took her basket and threw it on to the bonfire, setting the herbs she'd collected alight and causing a dark smoke to rise up from the flames— _Dueom-Tek-ka-ka! Tek-ka-ka!_ —she lifted her eyes towards the sky as her grin widened across her face unnaturally.

The drums stopped.

The girl raised her hand and their bodies reacted, moving forward as if drawn in without conscious thought. Through a sort of haze, Madara noticed that the others had stopped in their celebrations and also moved toward the girl. There was something _wrong_ here, he could realize that. His every instinct was telling him so, even as his legs moved him closer to the roaring fire he found no desire to refuse. From the shadows at the base of the rock wall he could see the forms of a man and woman dressed in white clothing exiting an old thatched hut, being pulled forward by the others before being held in front of the bonfire.

How had he not noticed that hutch before now?

On the opposite side of the fire Madara could see the two clearly now. There was a young man that could not have been older than Izuna, his face was young and unscarred and his hair was fair and light. He looked neither like a Shinobi nor a son of a Lord or merchant, a peasant from some city then. Most interestingly was that his face was vacant of any expression, his dark eyes reflecting the light of the fire in front of him as if he was entranced in the Genjutsu.

Standing beside him, Madara could tell from one glance that the woman was unmistakably born in a higher class even if she were dressed in simple clothing. Her long black hair fell around her shoulders like a shroud that framed her face. Lips colored a shade of rose and a pair of glassy almond eyes stared vacantly into the fire. Her skin was fair but her body was thin and muscle-tone was nonexistent, signs that the woman had never had to lift a finger before. She had wanted for nothing in her life as everything was taken care of for her.

 _This_ was the bride they've been searching for.

Behind him, the girl had begun humming again. She sang the childish song airily, her young voice floating through the otherwise silent night air. Madara sensed her moving, outside of his field of vision, but that lethargic feeling persisted and he remained still. Above their heads the clouds had moved to mask the light of the moon, cloaking the plateau in a fog of darkness.

" _Kagome kagome... The bird in the cage... When, oh when will it come out~?_ " she sang eerily, slowly circling all those gathered around the fire. " _In the night of dawn, the crane and turtle slipped..._ "

Across the bonfire the girl stood between the young man and the bride, her blonde hair now a shade of molten gold against the blazing light of the fire. Madara met her green eyes from across the distance, seeing the unnaturally wide smile on her young face. She lifted her hand and revealed a long, curved blade. It's polished edge flashed as she leveled it at Madara cold gaze.

" _Who is behind you now~?_ "

With a swift flick of her wrist, the young man's neck was carved open.

Izuna made a sound of alarm after the blade was drawn across the man's throat, that being the only indication Madara had that his brother was still of his own mind. Unlike the other glossy-eyed imbeciles surrounding them who had not even glanced towards the exaggerated display of murder.

The man's jaw fell open soundlessly as his lifeblood sprayed out from the laceration and into the roaring fire, feeding the flames to rise even higher and spit violently as they began to burn a shocking blue. The girl stood behind him and took in the sight with wide eyes and her grin growing ever larger. The blood flow began to slow, spilling down the front of his white clothing until his lifeless body collapsed to the ground where he remained motionless. Slowly, with her disorientated eyes, the Bride looked down on the body and blood pooling at her bare feet...

And she _screamed_.

In the moments following, all hell had broken loose. The girl had made a move towards the Bride and at the same time the heady smoke was dispersed by a sudden howl of wind, the acrid scent of blood filled their senses, pulling all out of their dazed states. Madara felt his head clear completely for the first time since arriving in this damned camp and readied to subdue the bloodthirsty child when she reared back suddenly, stumbling away from the Bride. She held the blade out for attack just before a pair of hands wrapped around her thin neck and twisted it with an all too familiar sounding _CRACK_!

The moment slowed as Madara stared at the familiar figure of Oak standing across from him, the girl's limp body in his arms. The man's bright amber eyes were cold as he met the Uchiha's own stony gaze. The strange cobalt light of the fire casted dark shadows on the stranger's grim expression, stealing any of the cheer that had seemed to be perpetually present on the fool's face.

A heartbeat passed.

Then time resumed as the rest of the cultists—and Madara was referring to them as _cultists_ , because he had already decided that Oak was responsible for this debacle—all began to scream in fury because the girl was now dead. Some lunged towards Oak, who swept the girl's body up into his arms and easily stepped out of their reach. Others snatching up branches from the fire and trying to reclaim the frightened Bride who had bolted away and into the dark at the first chance, Izuna following closely behind them. Madara stalked toward Oak, his expression one that alarmingly resembled murderous intent. An expression that Oak, regretfully, had been intimately familiar with and recognized instantly.

Which, is why he ran away.

By the time Izuna had cut down the raving lunatics and forcibly dragged the Bride back in to the firelight, he had returned to the scene of Oak evading his Nii-san's half-hearted attempts to sever him in two. He was also still carrying the girl's body in his arms. The Bride whimpered and tried to flee farther from the body in her panic but the hand around her arm was unrelenting. Izuna just stared at the two men as they ran around the fire like two little boys, completely ignoring the cultists that were dumb enough to get in the way of either of them.

"Listen, I _tried_ to tell 'ya—" Oak was in the middle of saying before having to duck to the ground and roll away from the leg that nearly cracked his skull open. He made an annoyed face at being so rudely interrupted.

"— _Die_." was all that Madara seethed in response.

Izuna allowed his head to hang, lifting a hand to rub his temple to ward off the incoming headache. He could scarcely believe that his Nii-sama was acting this way—It was totally unprofessional! The Bride began to pound her small fists against his shoulder and he swiftly brought the blunted end of his weapon to the back of her head, catching her unconscious body in his arms and gently setting her on the ground. He was pleased to note that _at least_ the rest of the cultists seemed to have been taken care of while Oak and Madara were playing with each other.

"What are you two _doing_?!" he hissed, stepping over the unconscious woman and towards the two men. Madara made lunge forward in an attempt to break Oak's legs, one that he has avoided narrowly, and Izuna _rolled his eyes_.

Oak made an annoyed groan and put Izuna between himself and the irked Uchiha, he then spoke quickly and without taking a breath. "Okay! Okay! I'm sorry for ditchin' yah like that but I _had_ to find out if we really did find a coven and once I realized that she was burnin' narcotics, I acted! My reaction wasn't fast enough to save the kid, I know and I'll kick myself about that later, but for _right now_ we need'ta burn the body before— _hrnggk_!"

Time had wound down to a stop again.

He choked on the words on his tongue, amber eyes widening as all the color drained from his face and turned to an ashy-grey. Madara's anger had been extinguished like a candle as he watched dark blood spill over Oak's lips, staining his haori. Standing with his back against the firelight, the Uchiha brothers could see a bony arm skewered through the center of Oak's chest.

A low, unworldly growl carried through the night air.

"... _Hell_." Izuna breathed, staring in disbelief.

Before any of them could have reacted, the sound of bones snapping rattled inside their heads and Oak was lifted into the air, impaled by an elongated arm. He spat up thick, sticky blood as he dangled above the head of the monster. Izuna could barely hear him mutter something with groan. With a flick of the twisted limb, Oak's body was sent flying past the firelight before becoming engulfed by the darkness of the night. Madara's eyes had never left the creature's writhing form. It's body had grown three times in size, stretching the skin taught and displaying the inhuman skeleton it harbored. It reared it's head and the entirety of the creature eyes were as black as night, the pallor of it's face now a sickly grey color as it opened it's maw to reveal rows of jagged teeth. It let out a shrill scream as it lunged towards him.

After shoving Izuna from out of it's reach, Madara braced his arms in front of his body and took the brunt of the beast's attack. He felt the jagged claws sink into the flesh of his forearms, a shudder of his bones from the sheer _force_ of the blow before he was lifted off his feet and sent careening towards the rock wall with a _crash_!

The creature howled to the skies, sounding like it thought itself victorious.

From beneath a layer of dust and rubble he lowered his arms and Madara _grinned_ , tasting the blood on his teeth and whetting his tongue. Inside his chest, his heart began to beat wildly. He reached his hand up and wrapped his fingers firmly around the hilt of his Gunbai, a fire sparking to life in his veins as he took several strides forward.

"So..." he murmured smoothly, leveling his War Fan at the hellish creature who merely hissed at him.

His black eyes held in them an emotion that was nearly _feverish_ with the prospect of a good fight. Madara had not been expecting to encounter any sort of excitement on this mission, he was pleased to find he'd been mistaken.

"Would you like to dance...?"

* * *

 **Book of Mysteries**

 **Chapter Three: "Rose, Black"**

 **END**

* * *

 **A/N: Haaah, did I say that this was only going to be three chapters to finish up the arc? Hehehehh… uhm. Yeah. Sorry about that. And to leave you on a cliffhanger now! God, I am a horrible person and I will still love you even if you hate me now. I am so sorry about such the long wait in between this chapter and the last! Jeez, it was nearly an entire year! And still, you guys showed such amazing support for this story even though it's only got a few chapters and _you guys are so amazing_! I love that you guys love Oak and I'm happy to write him, he's so kookie and fun. **

**As for the next chapter after this horrible cliffhanger ( _I am so sorry_ ) I will not put a date on a posting even though this chapter was originally all together, but then it was twice as long as it was supposed to be and I could not handle it anymore. I've got most of the next chapter written but I cannot say when it'll be done. As some of you know I've been besieged with One Piece ideas so I've been very distracted outside of the Narutoverse, slowing the updates for those stories sadly. ****All I can promise is to make sure and write something worth waiting for.**

 **Thank you all for reading and a big, lovely thank you to all that took the time out of your day to leave a review and encourage me. More than once over the last few months I have reread them anytime I needed inspiration and you guys are the ones that fueled this chapter. So, thank you. Also thank you to ClosetCase for being such a wonderful friend and helping me out with the chapter! I appreciated all your feedback and was able to write something I was happy with!**

 **Alright then, remember, I love you all!**

 _-Nanami_


	4. Book of Mysteries, Peach Blossoms

**Naruto Fan Fiction!**

 **Adventure! Mystery! SI-OC!**

 _(Title)_

 **" Myths, Monsters and a Man"**

* * *

 **DISCLAIMER: I do not own 'Naruto' or any of the canon characters!**

 **WARNING! RATED M! Violence, Blood, bit of Gore. Language. Traditional stuff, yanno?**

* * *

 **Book of Mysteries**

 **Chapter Four: "Peach Blossom"**

 _"Peach Blossom: Long-life, generosity, and bridal hope"_

* * *

Izuna watched as his Nii-san pulled himself back up and leapt towards the creature from hell, weapon in hand, with a worryingly wide grin on his face. His Nii-san was now laughing and sounding practically _delighted_ as he engaged the monster in combat.

The younger Uchiha sighed as he picked himself back up from where Madara had shoved him to the ground in a burst of overprotectiveness, dusting himself off and sparing a glance towards the direction where Oak had been flung just a minute before. There was a weak chakra signature still giving the illusion of life but that was most likely his death throes, there was always the last threads of chakra lingering right after death. His brow furrowed for the briefest of moments before he turned away.

He had liked Oak, but Izuna didn't need another face belonging to the dead engrained into his memory.

Deciding to make sure the Bride was both still unconscious and out of the way of his Nii-san's current source of stress relief, he walked across the plateau to her still form. To his relief, the Bride was just where he'd left her. So pretty and very limp as she laid in the dirt. He reached down for her and was glad to note that she was quite light to carry. Depending on how fast Nii-san killed the monster, they could make it a good dozen miles at high-speeds back towards the Capital before she wakes up.

Madara let out another vicious bark of a laugh and Izuna turned in time to see the creature bare it's teeth fearsomely. He was struck with the odd realization of how it didn't quite match up with the drawing in Oak's book of creatures. He then watched as his older brother sliced his gumbai through the air, laced with wind chakra the attack arced towards the beast and severed it's head from it's body. A scream was torn from nightmarish maw as it flipped through the air and landed in a bloody splash not far from Izuna, he grimaced at the foul stench that accompanied the strangely black ooze seeping from the severed end. To his mild surprise, the ghastly body continued to lunge at his brother and Izuna wondered if there was something in the waters near these parts that imbued the residents with some sort of resilience to _Death_. Even though they were dispatched easily enough, having foes that did not stop fighting even after being decapitated was becoming quite time-consuming.

Well, at least his Nii-san was enjoying himself.

Izuna noticed it too late— _A growl_ —Turning only _after_ feeling the shift in the air behind him— _A single heartbeat_ —He had thrown the Bride from his arms just as jagged teeth sunk into the flesh of his shoulder— _His eyes began to spin_ _ **Red**_ —He unsheathed his tantō and his Sharingan met the black eyes of the beast— _A pulse of chakra_ —spears of earth erupted out of the ground suddenly, impaling the skull of the beast and ceasing it's hold on Izuna. He quickly stepped away, hand clutching his bleeding shoulder as he watched the severed head cease it's twitching as it oozed black ichor that bubbled up and hissed at it hit the ground.

" _IZUNA_!" Madara shouted. Before he could even respond, a pair of hands had turned Izuna around suddenly to face a very alarmed Madara. His elder brother searched his face before narrowing at his shoulder and began to fuss, but Izuna dazedly looked back over his shoulder at the impaled skull.

It was large and deformed. _Monstrous_ , in a word. He couldn't believe that the little girl he'd seen singing songs an hour ago could've turned into something so inhuman. Not if he hadn't seen it with his own eyes.

"A _demon_ ," he muttered. Eyes never leaving it, just in case it decided to _un_ -impale itself and attack again. That reminded him of the rest of the body it was previously attached to and the sudden scent of burning flesh he could smell. "Did you kill your half, Nii-san?" he asked, somewhat detached.

"Yes," Madara grit out, dutifully wrapping Izuna's wound while oblivious to his own bleeding arm. Izuna didn't complain about how aggressively the bandage was tied and let his Nii-san vent furiously. "I'd kill it for a _third_ time out of spite alone! Do don't give a damn if it came up from the depths of Hell itself, I would strike it down again!"

"If only we woulda been so lucky to get a demon," a croaking voice interrupted. The Uchiha men turned in alarm, two sets of spinning red eyes narrowing at— _Tan skin, sun-dyed brown hair, amber eyes_ —Izuna's eyes widened at Oak's broad and cheerful grin. "That however, was a _bonafide_ Witch, Mercenary-san!"

Stumbling into the dying lights of the fires, blood covering his chin and the front of his chest and soaking into the haori, was no other than Oak in the flesh. In the place where the creature had skewered him was a black, oozing substance lathered onto the wound seemingly to staunch any bleeding. His skin looked a ghastly shade of pale, but he looked very much alive for a dead man.

"One of the shapeshifting variety no less!" he continued casually, either not noticing or not minding that incredulous stares he was receiving. He shambled over to the smoking remains of the body and nudged it with his sandal, his lips twisting into a petulant look. "We ought to be thankful that she wasn't into hexes. Hexes are a real bitch to cure and I'm fresh out of Eye of newt, and toe of frog! Heheheh— _Ack_! Shit, no. Bad idea. Laughing _hurts_..."

"You're still alive." Madara said blandly, his obvious disappointment coloring his tone. Oak's lips quirked slightly at the deadpan but quickly cleared his expression when the Uchiha sent him a sharp look.

Both Uchiha's eyes had faded to back to black directly after confirming Oak's chakra signature, dismissing the possibility of a Transformation Justu. Unlike his brother's underwhelming reaction, Izuna had been far more alarmed and relieved by the unexpected turn. He pulled himself from his elder brother's protective grasp and walked toward the man grasping his chest in pain.

"How are you still alive?!" he asked in bewilderment. "I saw you _impaled_!"

"She missed my vital organs." Oak dismissed easily, gingerly tapping his wound. "Slapped some of my own pitch salve on it and filled up the hole! It'll be right as rain in no time!"

"Pitch." Izuna echoed.

"Resin from a pine tree. Made it myself! It staunches the bleeding and it has _anti-bacterial_ —Ahhh..." the man stopped, realizing something to himself. He looked over Izuna with an awkward expression before shrugging one of his shoulders and wincing when it pulled on the wound. "Ah, _shit_! _Stuuupid_... It, ahm, it keeps the wound clean. I won't die from it so don't worry ya'self too much 'bout me."

The fifteen-year-old regarded Oak in silence, glancing down at the haori that was still covered in blood from where the creature had run him through with her arm— _Impaling him_ —before flinging him away like a ragdoll. Izuna thinks that Oak might be just as bad as his Nii-san. Madara also brushes off what should be grievous injuries with frustratingly reckless indifference as well. The comparison greatly unsettled the Uchiha, yet also inexplicably endeared him to this _utter fool_.

He writes it off as it having been a really long day.

"Have ya ever heard of the Kaguya Clan from the north?" Oak asked distractedly as he began to questionably search the severed body of the Witch. He didn't wait for Izuna's answer before beginning to ramble. "A crazy people. Can manipulate their bone structure and warp it to some to some creepy stuff! Really bloodthirsty, too and they make _terrible_ hosts! Never go to their dinner parties, trust me on that—Anyways I think our little lady might've been from them originally. Shape-shiftin' is a pretty rare skill to 'ave and the Kaguya Clan are the most versed in it as far as I know. She must've been dabbling a bit in the _Dark Side_ though, too bad for her that these types o'things are costly as _hell_."

Oak held up a crystal he looted and squinted at the moon through it, humming thoughtfully.

Izuna was silent, trying to piece together what the hell Oak was doing?

"Most witches tend to be tree-hugging, moss-eating pacifists but I've met some _real bad_ bitches in my time, y'know?" he continued, dropping the crystal into his pocket. "Ya might think that the Jashinists with their rituals were bad but ya can't even _imagine_ the type things that a witch'll do for power if they're desperate or motivated enough. What almost happened tonight was actually pretty tame when compared to half the things I've heard rumors of happenin'. I can't be _totally_ sure but I think this one we've got here turned to some Primeval teachings to manipulate the abundance of Natural energies in this area and sustained her powers through blood rituals under the full moon. Using virgins, prolly... damn." Oak stopped, looking up at Izuna with a expression of serious vexation. "Y'know? For _once_ I'd like to discover some supernatural plot that _doesn't_ involve any virgin sacrifice!"

Izuna let out a highly-inappropriate snort of laughter.

That was not funny at all. Innocent people were killed. Yes, he was not laughing.

Thankfully, Izuna's slip of human decency was overlooked as Oak let out a sudden shout of victory and produced a metal key from the body. He grinned up at Izuna with bright amber eyes, dusting off his shins and merrily jogging towards the thatched hut by the mountainside. Izuna followed behind him at a indulgent pace, holding his bandaged arm to stop it from moving too much.

"Wicca are _notorious_ bibliophiles!" the Cryptozoologist shared excitedly, as if he was a child that had been given too much desert. His voice rung out from the interior of the hut. "Judging from how old she was, she's probably got some really rare editions stashed away somewheres— _SCORE_! I found where she was hidin' the good stuff."

Izuna carefully stepped through the door taking note of the animal skins that hung upon the walls and the putrid scents the stemmed from them. The humble interior was illuminated by a few candles that melted freely in the corners, burning incense that did nothing to mask the stench of _death_ sitting beside them. Oak had kneeled in front of a metal chest and opened it with his pilfered key, rifling through it's contents promptly.

"Say, Oak," Izuna began, looking around warily. "What do you think she was she going to do with us? I mean, she couldn't have known we were coming, so... she was going to use her magic to enthrall us like those others around the fire?"

"Nah! She'd have tried to eat you, prolly." the man answered absently, fingers gently sliding over the writing on the scrolls and wondering aloud if any of them were booby-trapped with a curse or something similar, commenting that Curses were _'mean bitches'_ to get rid of.

" _Really_? Then what was the point of all _that_ —" Izuna animatedly gesturing towards the now-burning drum and the smoldering remains of the Wicca's coven. Oak's lips twitched upwards, lifting amber eyes to meet onyx. He spoke in a purposefully ominous voice.

"Meat ends up more tender when the animal is _relaxed_ , Mercenary-san... Otherwise it's just tough an' chewy."

Izuna blanched at his answer. He wasn't quite sure if he wanted to know how serious Oak was being. "So, this is what you do," he said, still a little in disbelief as he watched Oak's eyes scan over the aged vellum in his hands and acting as if what had occurred earlier was the most casual occurrence in the world. "This—You deal with... _Magic_ all the time, and also with... with..."

He trailed off, all the pictures he had looked at in Oak's Bestiary flashing through his mind at that moment. Then recollections of all the ghost stories his clansmen would tell him when he was younger suddenly came rushing to the forefront of his mind. How they might all be very _real_ instead of mere stories to frighten children.

He suppressed a shudder.

"Magic. Fuinjutsu. It has a couple names! Most y'all call it _Chakra_ , and comin' across a Wicca like this ain't very common. The reality is that there're aren't many practitioners of the Old Ways left," Oak made a vague noise, only paying half-attention to the Uchiha as he deciphered the language on the page. "Damn shame she was so Evil though. I would've _loved_ to pick her brain on the Dragon veins in this region. The old timey wicca were supposed to be the foremost on these kind of things!"

Oak let out a sigh, carefully rolling up the parchment and stowing into his satchel.

" _Damn_ shame," he lamented, sounding truly disappointed at the supposed loss. Then he simply began filling his satchel with everything inside the chest.

"You were being completely serious. About _everything_." Izuna said mostly to himself. He stared blankly ahead of him, mind elsewhere as he carded his hand through his black hair. "You hunt monsters."

Oak made a face, frowning at the assessment. "Ehhh, that's a bit of an embellishment. I don't hunt nothin'. I just like learning new stuff is all!"

Izuna was about to bring up some of the pictures he had seen in the other man's Book of Beasts, but any further conversation on the subject was interrupted by the indignant cry of a woman.

It says a lot that Izuna's first reaction was to look around for his elder brother.

He sighed inaudibly when he couldn't immediately spot Madara's ornery countenance. Oak finished his looting and was looking out the door. Both men exchanged a brief glance with one another before exiting the building and heading in the direction of the cry. The plateau was clear of any living being, both human and monster, but the trail that the brothers had climbed earlier that night had a faint glow of a torch and Izuna could hear the distant sounds of an argument.

"I won't go back!" a feminine voice denied. "I-I won't go back to marry that—that _pig_!"

"Do not delude yourself, woman." Izuna recognized his Nii-san's cold, commanding tone. "I was not _asking_."

Izuna began walking faster.

* * *

The clouds had long departed since the death of the Beast and it's followers, allowing the yellow moon to once again shine her light down upon the land. The air was thin and reeked with the lingering stench of death and charred flesh. The forest and the mountains were as silent as the air they breathed, as if even the creatures of the night dared not to make a single sound for fear of rousing his oppressing gaze.

Before him the Bride stood in defiance, chest heaving irregularly with fear as her eyes darted all around for a chance at escape. Her hair was tangled with dirt and blood smeared across her cheek, she glared hatefully at him, willing her eyes alone to strike him from her path to freedom. Even though she was dirty and bloodstained, he could admit that the woman held an alluring air of resilience that someone more poetic would describe as _beautiful_ even, in it's own tragic way.

Madara, however, was not a poet.

"You will be returned to the Capital. Struggle, and you will regret it." he promised coldly.

Her lips curled into a haughty sneer, attempting to hide how she was still trembling from her brush with death only a short while ago. "You _dare_ to threaten me?" she demanded with her false bravado. "My Father would have your tongue cut out for that! You—You would do best to remember not speak out of place, you hired _dog_!"

Madara's face clouded with anger and the Bride's shaky façade fell away in the span of a heartbeat, her eyes widening in palatable fear. He took one step towards her and she scrambled backwards, letting out a cry as she nearly tripped before pressing her back flat against a large boulder. Her eyes were wild as she looked at him and he couldn't help but think she resembled more of a cornered animal than woman of nobility now. He almost preferred her this way.

"I won't go back!" she said, voice now steeped with desperation. "I-I won't go back to marry that—that _pig_!"

"Do not delude yourself, woman." he rebuked. The Uchiha walked closer until his imposing shadow fell over her smaller body, blocking the moon's light. A look of utter dread came over her when she looked up into his darkened face. "...I was not _asking_."

A strong hand wrapped around her arm and she let out another yelp as Madara yanked her forward roughly. Before they could make it another step however, Izuna and Oak had rejoined them at the top of the mountain path and the younger Uchiha looked rather put-out. Oak had bent over at the waist and began panting for breath, looking exhausted.

"Nii-san!" Izuna called, nearly rolling his eyes after seeing the struggling Bride who looked ready to take a bite out of his elder brother. " _Arah_ —We've _talked_ about this! You can't just damage the property of the Client! And yes, before you protest she is technically considered her Father's property as long as we are being paid to deliver her back home! You have to be _civil_!"

"I _was_ being civil, brother." Madara said emphatically, releasing his hold on the woman and sending her tripping over her own feet.

Izuna could only sigh and look at his brother reproachfully as he began to descend the path towards them, leaving a wheezing Oak behind him. The Bride scrambled back to her feet and put distance between her and Madara, placing herself at the edge of the path over a steep cliff. Clumsily, she reached into her bloodstained robe and pulled out a jagged dagger and held it towards the men with trembling hands. It was the same ceremonial blade that the Witch had used to carve open the other man's throat. Madara wondered when she would've had time to grab it?

"I won't go back!" she repeated, lips trembling as looked between the Uchiha brothers. "I _won't_! A-And you cannot force me!"

Madara held out his hand towards the Bride as he looked at his brother.

"You see?" he said indignantly. " _She_ is the one who refuses to cooperate. Now unless you would like to give it a try and fail yourself, I am going to do this _my way_ so we can get the hell—"

"NO!" the woman cried hysterically. She turned the blade in her hands and pressed it against her neck, the tip pressed against her skin and caused blood to bead up and slide down her exposed collarbone. Her eyes were wild as her voice trembled. " _No_! I-I'd rather _die_!"

"Hey, now! Why don't we all take a breath? I think that we could do at least that much after all the excitement earlier, huh? Heh! I can hear your heart racing from over here!" Oak gently intervened, a disarmingly calm smile on his lips as he slowly walked down the path with his hands raised. "Maybe—and only if you felt like it... you could explain why it is you don't wanna go back so badly? I don't really know what's going on, but I'd be willing to hear your side of things, Lady."

"You... you are not with _them_? You were not hired by my father?" she asked warily, fingers tightening around the handle of the dagger.

Oak placed a hand over his chest and spoke sincerely. "Swear on my Mother's life, I only met these two earlier today through the most fortunate of accidents. I don't have any stake in where you go or who you go with, okay? You can call me Oak, if you want. I'm just an wandering soul looking to help people how I can."

The Bride's eyes darted from Oak's kind smile to the impassive expressions of the brothers, feeling a wave of fear after meeting Madara's dark eyes again. She licked her lips nervously as more of her robe fell off her arm, exposing her bare shoulder and the blood that stained her skin. "M-My name is Katoyashi Matsuri, I am the third daughter of Kenzo Katoyashi, the Daimyō of Fire Country."

Oak, to his credit, did not so much as _look_ in the direction of Izuna and Madara. His smile only took on a wry twist. "It's very nice to meet you, Miss Matsuri. Heh, I just wish it was under better circumstances."

"Indeed...?" Matsuri didn't share in Oak's amusement but her breathing had evened out a great deal as she regained the composure she lost in the face of Madara. Still, she did not pull the blade even an inch away from her throat. "If what you say is true, Oak-san, then perhaps you would be willing lend me your aid against these hired thugs!"

Madara's scowl deepened but Izuna took the lead before his brother could do something that might make matters worse. The younger Uchiha slipped on his mask of politeness and smiled charmingly, though it didn't reach his eyes.

"Katoyashi-sama, you are still disorientated. I am sure that you were placed under a great amount of distress during your captivity, but please make no mistake, my brother and I are only here to assure your safety. Perhaps after you've had some time to calm down we can discuss your return home?"

The Bride scoffed with distain, unconsciously lowering the blade. " _Yes_ , that is just what I am to you, aren't I?! Just some confused little girl who doesn't know any better! Yes, why should I have any will of my own?!" she spat on the ground, a snarl on her lips. "You can _go to Hell_!"

Izuna's smile fell and Madara felt somewhat vindicated at his little brother's failure to pacify the rebellious woman. Oak let out a startled laugh, one that he quickly regretted as he groaned in pain. Both Uchiha glared at the man but the cryptozoologist paid them no mind as he focused solely on the Bride, his grin widening.

"Oh, I _like_ you." he announced, causing the Bride's brow to furrow warily. Amber eyes regarded the woman with a new intrigue. "I think I can reckon a guess about what this all really is, if you'll indulge me... You're to be married, aren't you, Miss Matsuri? And I'm also guessin' that you're not too keen on the man that's to be your betrothed?" he appraised, to the surprise of Izuna and Matsuri. Madara narrowed his eyes at Oak as he was once more reminded of the intellect this stranger preferred to conceal.

"My _betrothed,_ " she spat venomously. "Is a whoremonger whose only desire is to climb the social ranks and fulfill his vile ambitions! He has no regard, neither for my honor nor my life! He used his money and business to come into my Father's favor and buy this farce of a marriage! Just as long as he gains the prestige of becoming the son of the Daimyō, it doesn't matter even I cannot give him a child! He said so himself, he even— _h-he_ —" she stopped as her voice broke. She lowered her head and her hair fell over her face.

"What happened, Matsuri?" Oak asked gently. Matsuri's body began to tremble again, fingers clutching the dagger until her knuckles turned white. She slowly lifted her head again and gone was that streak of resilience from her dimmed gaze. There was only the small form of a frightened young woman standing before them. Her eyes met Oak's and she looked completely robbed of all hope.

"I... I had confronted Fujiwara about the other women. H-He hadn't even tried to deny it! And... and when I had threatened to tell my Father what kind of man he was, he—" she grit her teeth. Tears welled up in her dark eyes, only the remains of her pride kept them from falling to the ground. "He _struck_ me, the daughter of the most powerful man in the Country... then he told me that it didn't matter who I spoke to. He could do whatever he wanted to me once we were wed. Beat me, dishonor me, he even said he would kill me if I did not preform my duties as his wife. So, I fled the Capital rather than be sentenced to a life serving as Fujiwara's legal _whore_."

The night skies had begun to lighten over their heads with the fast approach of dawn. All the humor had drained from Oak's gaze as he listened to the woman's tale, leaving only a quiet burning in his amber eyes. In contrast, Madara's were stony and impassive as he watched the dramatic confession play out before him.

"That must give you some understanding, Oak-san, of the desperation of my situation." she finished with her head held high. Oak's expression softened again, eyes filling with sympathy. "For what little of a life I have left it is one that I, and I alone, will determine the fate of... i-including my death, if needs be."

"I've heard enough of this." Madara announced curtly, voice harsh.

The tension in the air _spiked_ as all eyes focused in on the dark-haired shinobi.

Matsuri's grip on the knife tightened, heart racing.

Izuna lowered his head, deferring to his brother's judgement.

Oak stepped forward, hand still pressed against his bloody chest as he placed himself in front of Bride. He met Madara's gaze without reluctance. There was a new sharpness in Madara's eyes as he regarded the Fool standing in his way, tilting his head ever so slightly in curiosity. He wondered if the stranger actually considered himself a match for Madara?

The night was silent, yet one could feel the electricity circling in the air. Almost hear the crackling of the power charging in the seconds as it built to it's peak.

Matsuri shattered the moment, twisting the dagger in her grasp and thrusting it towards her chest. Oak reacted, twisting on his heel but he was much too slow. In a flicker of shadows another figure appeared in front of the Bride, his gloved hand wrapped firmly around her dainty wrist as it stopped the blade short of piercing her skin. Madara's grip tightened and the woman whimpered in pain, causing her to release the dragger where it clattered against the rock noisily.

There was an slight curve to his lips as onyx eyes slid over to meet astonished amber orbs.

Oak's breath hitched.

Matsuri fell to the ground as her wrist was released, tears falling down her face as she gave into her despair. She muffled a sob as Madara's austere expression became hidden by the shadows cast by the slow dawning of the sun in east. To Oak's surprise, the Uchiha turned his back to them, marching back up the hill without a word. Matsuri and Oak watched in bewilderment before looking to each other, questioning what just happened.

Izuna sighed, smiling faintly. "Are you certain, Nii-san?"

Madara did not respond as he disappeared over the crest of the hill.

The younger Uchiha looked back at the Bride. "You should probably be gone by the time he gets back, Katoyashi-sama, or he might change his mind."

Matsuri did not question it. She collected herself up off the ground and began to descend the rocky mountain trail as fast as her shaky legs would take her.

Left behind, Oak raised a finger, brow furrowed and looking quite puzzled.

"I—...did, did I _miss_ something?" he asked aloud.

Izuna huffed in wry amusement and seated himself on a nearby rock. He began to properly dress the wound on his shoulder as he waited for his elder brother to return, thinking back on all the excitable events that took place within the last few hours. Monsters, magic and the possible reality of every story he's ever heard being true.

He was glad that the entire trip wouldn't turn out to have been a waste of time.

* * *

Onyx eyes scanned the decimated plateau before finding a suitable replacement among the bodies of the cultists. His steps were swift as Madara came to stop beside one of the women, kneeling beside her. Her hair was dark and skin fair, her torso severed open from a clean drive of a blade, resulting in some of her innards to spill out onto the once-white robes she wore. He could not tell if he had killed her or if it had been Izuna's handiwork.

 _It did not matter_ , he supposed, _she bared enough of a resemblance._

He brutally cut off the head of the corpse and sealed the body within a fūinjutsu scroll. There, it was finished. Once he delivered this back to the husband then the contract would be complete and he could finally return to the Uchiha forces in the South participate in the skirmishes.

Madara turned around to find Oak watching him.

Oak crossed his arms over his chest, his eyes unreadable, having just witnessed the unrepentant desecration of the nameless woman's body. Madara placed the scroll back into his belt and faced the Stranger, finally saying what he has wanted to since the moment they crossed paths.

"You are a liar." Madara folded his arms over his chest as he looked at the other man. "You've been lying since the moment we encountered you in the forest."

"Well, that was out of nowhere." Oak tilted his head, regarding the Uchiha carefully. "...it's only bothering you _now_?"

"I am currently deciding whether or not I should kill you."

"Ahah... you know, I am getting dangerously close to liking you, Mercenary-san."

Madara did not share in the sentiment.

Oak shrugged off the menacing look easily. Against the bronze light of dawn his amber eyes glimmered, full of that wary intelligence that Madara had spied before.

"Whether or not to say that I lied to you at any point is a matter of perspective, really." the stranger began, voice clear and concise. "I told you from the beginning that I no longer used my given name, but at the same time it is true that I am not about to lay out my life story to satisfy your curiosity. Just as I am not about to ask why it is _you_ have been lying since the first moment we met. That is, unless..."

Oak's lips curled up mischievously.

"Show me yours and I'll show you mine?"

Madara sneered in disgust.

"If you ever try to get in my way again, Fool, I will not hesitate to strike you down."

Oak nodded cheerily, giving a mock salute.

"Noted, Mercenary-san. I'll just keep duckin' to the side then."

Madara gave Oak a look that held the full weight of his distain for the other man. He turned away and headed towards the path down the mountain. Izuna stood up when his brother returned with Oak trailing behind him, the former looking rather peeved.

"We're done here, brother," the elder Uchiha announced impatiently. "It's time to leave."

Izuna, seeing as his brother hadn't cut him down yet, was glad to strike up a conversation with the Cryptozoologist as they all began to descend the mountain together. "So, where do you intend to head now, Oak-san? Are you going to search for your _Vampires_?"

And Izuna tried not to dwell on the fact that Vampires could very well exist in the world now. He focused on all the other colorful imagery he'd seen in the Book of Beasts.

"Welp, the Wicca is dead and there'll be no more corpse-eating in these parts so I'm done. The trail has gone cold for now. Though I didn't find any Vampires, I did find a surprising amount of occult worshipers in this part of the country!" Oak laughed brightly at that fact, causing Izuna to smile in exasperation. Then the man reached into his satchel and retrieved the scroll he'd pilfered earlier, waggling it in Izuna's direction. "But! The old witch had _this_ hidden away in her things, and with a little translation on my part I've deciphered what it is: A lead on the last known location of the Yata Mirror!"

Izuna nearly tripped over the side of the mountain. Both Madara and Oak had grabbed onto the younger Uchiha's shirt, pulling him back onto the path. He didn't mind as he was once again reduced to looking like a gaping child in front of Oak. Never mind that he still technically was fifteen-years-old, that was closer to being an adult than not.

"T-The Yata Mirror?!" he yelped, voice cracking. "The same one from the stories!? With the Sword of Totsuka!?"

"Hopefully! It'd be _fantastic_ if it was!" Oak laughed, thrilled by the shared enthusiasm. "I'm headin' straight to Iron country to see how accurate this is before getting too invested. Though, I might catch up with Miss Matsuri again on my way, make sure she gets to the next town safe. Maybe I'll invite her along? What with Shinobi not being allowed to trespass into Samurai territory and all that, she might find the idea appealin'! She can't keep relying on the unexpected kindness of brooding strangers, after all." he said pointedly, eyeing Madara with a toothy grin.

Madara did not respond to that.

They reached the summit of the path and stood in the valley once more, a little more bloody than when they were before. The birds were singing from the boughs of the trees and the forest around them was alive with light and sound, a stark contrast to the night before. Oak split off from Izuna's side and began heading back towards Rusutsu, giving the brothers a wave from over his shoulder.

"This is farewell, Mercenary Brothers!" he shouted, a smile lingering in even his voice. "But who knows? Maybe we'll run into each other again!"

Before long the self-proclaimed Cryptozoologist that called himself Oak was gone. For good this time.

"I wonder, do you think we'll ever run into him again? Despite his oddities, I actually took a liking to him. What do you think, Nii-san?" the younger Uchiha hummed with a small, wistful smile on his face. "...Nii-san?"

He glanced to his side when he heard no response.

Headed in the direct opposite direction of Oak, Madara was already sprinting through the trees back towards Fire Country.

Izuna cursed under his breath and began running.

"Damn it—Wait up! _Nii-saaan_!"

If Madara had believed in some sort of higher power, like Destiny or Fate or in an all-knowing Kami, then he might've prayed that he'd never cross paths with Oak for the rest of his life. As it is, he _didn't_ and would berate himself not doing so back then for a good decade.

...until then, he was left to curse at the Kami and the Fates as his patience was tried time and time again by a damned fool who had an uncanny knack of getting in his way.

* * *

 _A Personal Notation tacked onto the end of the Book, written in a short but clean hand_ —

—You think of funny things while you're bleeding out—( _Part 3_ )

* * *

' _Oak_ ' would've had a merry laugh at the sheer stupidity of the situation if it hadn't been for the gaping hole where there shouldn't be one— _Breathe. Keep breathing_.

Slowly and _oh so_ very carefully a hand slipped into the old leather satchel and pulled out a jar of oozing black liquid, unscrewing the lid with a frankly ridiculous amount of effort required, and pouring it out— _Focus on your breathing, slow your heart-rate. Deep, calming breaths to slow the blood flow. The salve will take care of the rest._

Really should've burned the witch's vessel before she had a chance to wake back up from her temporary death. Oak had made a greenie move bickering with the Uchiha instead of just getting the job done— _Don't bleed out here. That would be pretty lame and Son Gokū would totally laugh at you. Shukaku, too. That would suck. They'd never respect you again._

Couldn't be helped now though, could it? It was Oak's own damn fault for getting involved with the brothers after their chance encounter during the whole Jashinist thing. It had to be some kind of bad joke Fate thought up for a quick laugh— _Well, they never really did respect me in the first place, did they? Hah hah. Deep breaths. Don't bleed out. Ah, shit this hurt._

Oak was a naturally curious individual from birth and couldn't very well pass up on the chance to see how that angry boy had grown up since the last time they came face-to-face— _Don't die again. That would be bad. Death sucks._

Honestly, the truth of the situation was that Oak just wasn't expecting Madara to be so damn distracting and this was the painful result of that— _Dying sucks in general, but the point stands._

Still, Oak thought Uchiha Madara turned out to be a rather funny guy.

* * *

 **Book of Mysteries**

 **Chapter Four: "Peach Blossom"**

 **END**

* * *

 **A/N: Oh my word. That took much longer than I anticipated. Gosh, but it finally happened and I am so sorry that it took so long but I am also happy to report that the chapter came out 20x better than the original draft! Yes. I am celebrating this and NOT looking at exactly how long it took to write this Arc to completion. Thank you all so very much for your support and wonderfully kind words over this ridiculously long process, you got me through this. Also, Thank You to ClosetCase, my dear and wonderful friend that was an invaluable help in the creation of this chapter. It seriously wouldn't have been half as good as it turned out their help! Thank you~**

 **Now, to talk a bit about this story. From here on I prom** **ise — Swear, really, to not post another chapter unless I have the entire arc written out and done and nice-like. I swear. On that same note, I pretty much have the rest of this fic and all the arcs involved in it fully plotted out. There are multiple and it will follow Madara and Oak well into the establishment of Konoha and hopefully answer whatever lingering questions and/or theories that you might be holding onto! It will just take time for me to actually get the writing bit done. Sorry about that, but I dearly hope that you enjoyed this conclusion to the Book of Mysteries!**

 **Thank you all for your patience and kindness. I love you, please stay safe out there!**

 _-Nanami_


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